Shattered
by shannyfish
Summary: Someone is out to get Las Vegas' CSIs and Sara Sidle is their first victim. What happens when there are no leads to a suspect? Takes place during Season Seven.
1. Stolen

**Title:** Shattered

**Author:** innocent choir girl shannyfish (From Out of the Lab)

**Summary:** Someone is out to get Las Vegas' CSIs and Sara Sidle is their first victim. What happens when there are no leads to a suspect? Takes place during Season Seven.

**Category: **Ship Ahoy! Gil/Sara

**Genres:** Angst, Character Study, Drama, Established Relationship, Friendship, Hurt Comfort, Suspense

**Characters:** Jim Brass, Gil Grissom, Catherine Willows, Warrick Brown, Sara Sidle, Nick Stokes, Greg Sanders

**Warnings:** Adult themes

**Rating:** R

**Chapter:** 1 "Stolen"

**Author's Notes: **this idea has been bouncing around in my head, so I finally decided to put it down… At least appease the devious part of my brain ;)

…………………………………………………

The dark cloud covered sky didn't budge to let any light spill through them. The high trees above her protected eerie shadows, Sara noted that the neighborhood much have been putting out a lot of water to keep those trees alive in the desert. Holding her flashlight as she walked along, she carefully inspected the exterior of the house looking for any clues to the homicide inside. Catherine was inside bagging evidence and dusting for prints. They had a good idea that the suspect had fled through the back door, so Sara hoped to find something to help lead them to him or her. She panned back and forth with her flashlight and bent down when she saw a fragment of glass that could have been from the broken vase inside.

Pulling a pair of tweezers and a small evidence bag from her vest, she prepared to pick it up, but before she could there was a rustle in the brush behind her. Before she could turn to see what or who it was, an arm snaked around her neck cutting off her oxygen supply. She struggled; her tweezers and bag fell to the ground next to the shard of glass. Reaching up, she grabbed her attacker's clothed arm and tried to dislodge it from its current position. Her lungs protested and started to burn from lack of oxygen. Sara's eyes started to slowly close. She tried to mouth words, what words she wasn't even sure. Slowly, the edges of her vision pooled black and her arms fell limp to her sides. Within seconds her eyes were closed and her whole body was limp. Only then was the hold released, her body automatically pulled oxygen into her lungs, but consciousness was not regained.

…………………………………………………

Dirty walls were what were waiting for Sara when she finally opened her eyes. Out of the corner of her eye she could see a gauge in the wall. She was lying on her side, handcuffed to a railing that was imbedded into the wall. She hurt though, she could fell that, her whole right side which she was lying on was hurting and she wondered if it was bruised. Maybe whoever had nabbed her had dropped her out of whatever vehicle they transported her in. Letting out a whimper, she tried to move her legs, but they were tied at her ankles and knees. She couldn't even bend them. Trying to roll onto her back so that she could sit up was out of the question because it just tugged on the cuffs and made the metal dig into her skin. Letting out a soft cry, she stayed how she was.

Not that there was much that she could see, but Sara was still thankful that she had pulled her long dark hair back into a ponytail. If it was in her face, she most likely wouldn't have been able to see anything. Sara laid there wondering if her disappearance had even been registered yet. Had Catherine even noticed that she was gone? How much time had passed? Was it an hour? Or was it morning already? She couldn't tell. The room was simply lit was a faulty light bulb that flickered. There were no windows; at least none that she could see…she had seen what she could only guess was a door behind her. Her cell phone started to go off and Sara started to struggle to get to it. She twisted trying to get to her phone in her pocket. She let out a cry as she felt the metal dig into her wrists, but possibly telling someone where she was, was worth the pain.

Her fingers slipped and the phone ended up on the floor. Looking down on the lit screen she saw her caller ID. 'The Lab' was on it. Did that mean that they knew she was gone? Or was Grissom just calling her from the lab to check on her? Reaching, she whimpered a bit as her fingers could only touch the edge of the phone. Grasping was out of the question, let alone answering the call. When the phone stopped ringing, Sara let out a frustrated cry and just stared at it. Within seconds, it started to ring again. Thrashing around again, Sara tried to get to it, but was hindered when a piece of black fabric covered her eyes. She hadn't heard anyone, but she had been distracted… She could hear the phone being retrieved and whimpered. Had he even told them she was missing? Had he left any clues? She knew he was a man now…she could smell the cologne he wore…definitely male.

"Sara Sidle…I didn't expect you to try anything so stupid…"

Listening intently, she hoped to pick up some clue to who he was. She hadn't seen his face yet, not even a glimpse. His voice was deep and even. No sign of an accent, but he didn't sound happy… Deciding maybe she could get more information, she decided to ask the obvious question, "What do you want with me?"

"I've been watching you…"

She thought about the guy who had stalked Nick a couple years back and then how he'd tried to kill him. What if this guy was like that? "I don't leave that exciting of a life," she replied and wondered why anyone would want to watch her anyways. All she did was work.

"You are in a relationship with Doctor Gilbert Grissom."

Sara frowned; no one was supposed to know about that. It was their secret. But she noted how it was phased as a statement and not a question. Had she really been under his surveillance? She still didn't understand why. "That's none of your business," she snapped. Suddenly, she was pulled back roughly by her ponytail; she let out a soft cry from shock and pain.

"You need to learn manners."

"What do you want with me?" she asked again through gritted teeth. She felt something poke her vest, just the pressure of it. Fear crept into her stomach and settled there.

"I don't understand how he could even find you attractive."

Sara wasn't sure how to respond to that. She knew that she wasn't beautiful…she never really cared much about her looks until recently. She had let her hair grow longer and had taken more attention to make-up and she supposed even acting a bit softer. Being with Grissom had changed her, maybe it was being accepted and loved…she wasn't entirely sure. But she remained quiet telling herself that it didn't matter what this psycho said, it only mattered what Grissom thought. He loved her after all.

"I suppose at least you're in shape…though you hardly have any boobs. Usually mean who like ugly women choose ones with at least a body with good curves."

This was getting old, if he was going to kill her; she wished he'd get it over with. She thought she was fine. She had seen all kinds of women come through the morgue and all he work they had had done…but Sara never thought any of them were any happier with the alterations they had made. Their lives seemed miserable. She thought it was just better to try and be happy with yourself…and she was working on that… She'd progressed socially, or at least she thought so. She hadn't fought with Catherine or Ecklie for some time…and she wasn't spending all of her time at the lab…

She heard the cuffs being undone and thought it was her chance to try to get away, but her wrists were re-cuffed quickly. Now she was off the rail. She was yanked around and up to a sitting position by the chain of the handcuffs. The metal dug into her wrists even more. She could feel that her tender flesh had been torn and was not doubtingly bleeding. Yanking her by her vest, Sara let out a gasp not expecting to being flung around like she was. Her zipper on her vest being pulled down was a bit alarming and she brought her arms up to stop him from pulling it down anymore.

"You better move your arms unless you want to get cut, Bitch!"

The spatter of his spit hit her face and she cringed and turned her face away and slowly lowered her arms. She wasn't sure what he was doing, but she wasn't comfortable with it. When the vest was opened, she felt something against her shoulder and then realized it was the knife. "What are you doing?" she asked quickly, fear in her voice.

"Shut up!"

The hand that fell across her face got her to quiet quickly and Sara was sure it was bruise as she could taste blood on her lips. But instead of him stabbing her with the knife, she heard it piercing the fabric of her vest. After he separated the right shoulder of her vest he went on to the left and the vest quickly was pulled away from her body leaving her feeling less covered and vulnerable. She heard the knife being set down and then felt his hands on her boots and removing them. The rustle of plastic caught her attention and she realized he was putting everything he was taking off of her into a bag. Was he just trying to keep it all together or did he have plans for it? She wasn't sure, but she wanted to know. But Sara wasn't about to have the knife plunged into her when she wasn't even sure what his intentions were.

Pulling a sharp breath, Sara told herself to stay calm as the hands went to her waist and to her jeans. She felt as he pulled them from her body to unbutton them and then the sound of the zipper being pulled down. Her stomach started to back up and she could fill the bile flow upward as she thought of what he could have planned for her. She bit her lip and tried to keep her stomach at bay as she felt him tugging down her jeans and when he pushed her backwards and she landed hard on her back she thought he was going to rape her…and when she felt her ankle bonds being cut, she thought she had to act before he could do anything to her…

…………………………………………………

TBC…


	2. Follow the Evidence

Title: Shattered

Author: innocent choir girl shannyfish (From Out of the Lab)

Summary: Someone is out to get Las Vegas' CSIs and Sara Sidle is their first victim. What happens when there are no leads to a suspect? Takes place during Season Seven.

Category: Ship Ahoy! Gil/Sara

Genres: Angst, Character Study, Drama, Established Relationship, Friendship, Hurt Comfort, Suspense

Characters: Jim Brass, Gil Grissom, Catherine Willows, Warrick Brown, Sara Sidle, Nick Stokes, Greg Sanders

Warnings: Adult themes

Rating: R

Chapter: 2 "Follow the Evidence"

Author's Notes: isn't very cooperative. It seems whenever I go to update something it's not working… So, it seems that I forget that I have yet to post a chapter up…like this one… As you can see I post this story on and on From Out of the Lab archive. The address for that is ((http :// www. csi-forensics .com/ viewuser. php?uid1160)) which will take you to my page… If it seems to be taking me too long to update, check there ;) or e-mail me… And let's keep our fingers crossed that will be more cooperative in the future!!!!

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She could feel the bonds on her knees being pulled away. She could hear the sound of the tape being pulled from her jeans. Keeping her legs tight together she pulled them back a bit as she felt his hands over her clothed legs. Sara sucked in breath as she felt his fingers on the bare skin near the waist band of her jeans. Taking her chance, she thrust her legs forward and heard him fall back and took that chance to run…she didn't know where she was going…she couldn't see, but she wanted to get away.

"Bitch!"

Lifting her still cuffed hands up, she felt as she came upon a wall for an opening. So far, all she had was a solid wall. Panic streamed through her veins as she heard the man getting up off the floor and cursing all the while. Quickly she felt around for the open doorway, or even a handle to a door… Anything! The cool metal of the round door handle felt like a relief when Sara grasped it, but it wasn't for very long…she was grabbed from behind and thrown to the floor. Her breath was pushed out of her chest when she hit the ground on her stomach.

Her jeans were ripped off of her and she could hear them land several feet away. She tried to move, but her legs were grabbed and pulled back. A heavy hand held her down between her shoulders and he straddled her putting his weight across the back of her knees successfully keeping her in place. Sara sucked in breath sharply waiting for the next thing… She felt extremely helpless…now not only was she not able to move, but she still couldn't see… The cold metal tip of the knife across her back caused Sara to immediately start to squirm, even with the pressure of her captor holding her down.

"You think you're so smart, don't you Sara? Kick me where it hurts… I'm going to teach you a lesson now…"

His voice was cold and angry…and it scared the hell out of Sara. She stayed still, her whole body tensed up as the knife's tip traced back and forth over her skin, but not penetrating. Sucking in breath, she let out a sob… It wasn't something that was normally in her nature, to cry…especially in front of others, but now…it just felt right. It felt like maybe it would help…make her feel better in some way. But her sobs did nothing to soothe her and quickly turned into screams as she felt the knife slice into the tender skin of her lower back.

"Don't worry, Sara…no one can hear your screams… You can scream as loud as you want."

His words did little to soothe her; it actually set the fear that had been building up. If he had no fear of her screams alerting anyone, then Sara knew that they had to be somewhere isolated… That wasn't good for her. It meant she was less likely of being found. "Please…" she let out whimpering, the pain overwhelming her making her eyes slump behind the blindfold. The blood was trickling from her wounds down her sides. When he finally finished, her body just lay there…and Sara was having trouble staying conscious.

"Please," she whispered helplessly. Sara wasn't sure exactly what she was asking for, but her brain was telling her to speak that word. She let her eyes slide closed, but didn't pass out… She waited…listened… When he stood up, and took the weight off of her, she felt more pain… Her legs had gone numb and she felt like needles were dancing across them… His hand on her hair, stroking it, she wondered if he thought it was supposed to be soothing… Sara didn't feel comforted by it, but it did add to her feeling of helplessness.

"I'll be back, Sara. I need to visit your friends at CSI… You sleep. Rest."

She could fell him wrapping his fingers around her ponytail, and then felt it being pulled on. After a minute or so, she felt his hand pull away and when the ponytail didn't fall back against her, she knew he had cut it. Sara felt a loss, not a big one, but a small sadness inside of her…she had grown her hair out and it had been part of who she was.

"A present…for Grissom."

Footfalls let her know that he was leaving the room. She listened intently as the door was shut and the lock slide in place. She wasn't sure what to think about his 'present for Grissom', but she knew that Grissom wouldn't think she was dead just from a ponytail of her hair. It would take much more than that…like her body… After a couple minutes, Sara let out a heavy breath and let herself sleep.

………………………………………

"I can't believe no one saw anything," Warrick exclaimed hitting his locker. They had been looking for Sara for several hours, and there was nothing to lead them to anything… So, instead he had taken a break in the locker room. He had been looking at a picture of the whole team that he had taped inside of his locker…that had been what had set him off. He sat on the bench with his head in his hands shaking his head and wondering if there could have been anything they could have done.

"You okay, Rick?" Catherine asked looking into the locker room. She had just left Grissom's office and he had been in a pretty close looking state to Warrick's. But Grissom had insisted that he needed quiet and space so he could think… She had a feeling he was getting a migraine…and probably needed to lay down. Catherine had tried to get him to talk about Sara…but he had avoided her prompts and instead had changed the subject.

"I'm just…frustrated," he said finally ending his thought. "Nick and Greg are looking over everything to make sure we didn't miss anything, but it's like the guy's a ghost…if it's even a guy…" Warrick sighed, "I keep thinking that I should have been there…or I should have called…to check on you guys…"

Catherine frowned and joined him on the bench. "Yeah…I keep thinking that I shouldn't have sent her outside by herself… I should have checked in on her…"

Warrick turned his head to look at her, "Cath, it's not your fault…" he told her.

"It's not yours either… Sara's a big girl and if we had suggested sending anyone to help her then she would have argued…but hindsight's a bitch…" Catherine reminded him. "Sara's a survivor…she's going to make it… We're going to find her…and maybe we'll all be a little more careful."

"Guys!!! Guys!!!"

Catherine and Warrick's heads shot up and to the side at Greg's yelling as he ran down the hall and stopped in the doorway of the locker room. "What is it?" Warrick asked wondering why the younger man was yelling. Then something clicked, and Warrick wondered if he'd get a positive answer on his next question, "Did someone find Sara?"

Shaking his head, Greg's frown reappeared. He'd been carrying that expression all day. He knew what it was like to be attacked, but for Sara to be gone, too? He wasn't sure what to think… "No. But Grissom has a ponytail with blood on it… He's examining it now… He thinks it might be Sara's…"

No more needed to be said, Catherine and Warrick both got up and hurriedly followed Greg back towards the inner lab. They gathered outside of the closed lab, along with Greg, Nick, and Brass. Catherine talked to Brass while they waited and found out that he had found it…it had been left on Grissom's car. Brass had parked next to it and had thought it was odd. She wasn't sure how to feel…she was nervous…but should she be worried? She really wanted to bust into the lab and see it for herself… What if she could identify it for sure? Sure, the DNA would tell, but she'd seen Sara earlier…how she had her hair pulled back into a ponytail. Covering her face with one hand, Catherine turned and closed her eyes waiting for Grissom to appear and tell them the news.

………………………………………………..

TBC…


	3. Nicky

**Title:** Shattered

**Author:** innocent choir girl shannyfish (From Out of the Lab)

**Summary:** Someone is out to get Las Vegas' CSIs and Sara Sidle is their first victim. What happens when there are no leads to a suspect? Takes place during Season Seven.

**Category: **Ship Ahoy! Gil/Sara

**Genres:** Angst, Character Study, Drama, Established Relationship, Friendship, Hurt Comfort, Suspense

**Characters:** Jim Brass, Gil Grissom, Catherine Willows, Warrick Brown, Sara Sidle, Nick Stokes, Greg Sanders

**Warnings:** Adult themes

**Rating:** R

**Chapter:** 3 "Nicky"

**Author's Notes: **thanks to Opal for fixing stuff!!!

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Staring at the DNA results, Grissom kept reminding himself that it was merely blood and hair. The amount of blood wasn't even substantial, and until they found a body, they'd have to operate under the assumption that Sara was still alive. He sat there for a long while thinking… This was the second time one of his team had been kidnapped. And Sara…just made it worse. They were close now…closer…which changed everything. Hearing a soft knock on the door, he looked over his shoulder to see that Brass peeking in through the door.

"What's the verdict?" he asked, his voice calm and level. He already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from Grissom.

"The DNA on the blood came back as Sara's… Not sure about the hair, no follicular tags…looks like it was chopped off. It's not all the same length…and there was the elastic band still around it as if it was cut off right above it… But the color and length seem right for Sara…" Grissom showed Brass the pink band that had kept the hair gathered before he had removed it.

"Do you remember if she was wearing that earlier?" Brass questioned.

Sighing, he answered honestly, "I didn't notice. I remember her hair was pulled back, but…I don't remember with what…"

"I'll ask Catherine, women recognize these things…" Brass offered.

Grissom merely nodded in response. His thoughts wondered back to the murder of a woman who looked enough like Sara that they could have been sisters. That had hit him hard… It was only some time later that Nick had been taken…

"Gil, we're going to find her," Jim told his friend confidently. When his friend looked at him worried, he tried to assure, "Alive." He took a breath before adding, "She's alive. Sara's a survivor, she's strong, and she's probably trying to leave us clues… We just have to find them."

"I'm just worried she's hurt, and we don't know the first place to look," Grissom admitted.

Brass frowned, that didn't help them any. "No trace?"

"None."

"Want me to tell them?" Brass offered. Before Grissom could open his mouth to answer, Brass' cell sounded and he picked it up. "Brass." He listened carefully, "Primm?" he asked and then nodded. "We'll be there." Closing his phone he looked up at Grissom, "We'll be there." Closing his phone, he looked up at Grissom, "We've got a body at the state line…along the I-15 near Primm. The description…matches Sara's…"

"Her hair's likely been cut," Grissom pointed out remembering that in the description they had said she had long brown hair.

"The female they described has short brown hair. She's been bruised and cut up pretty badly… They couldn't tell if she has that tattoo or not…" He looked at Grissom sympathetically, "Want me to go?" He could ID Sara on his own, but he had an idea that Grissom would insist on going along.

"No, I have to be there…"

………………………………………..

The drive from CSI to state line seemed to take several hours rather than the thirty-something minutes it took in Brass' car with the siren and lights flashing at full speed. He had sent Nick and Greg to the Mirage on a homicide while Catherine and Warrick were at Desert Palms Hospital taking a statement from a rape victim and collecting the SAE kit. Gil thought it was best it was just him and Brass. Though, he had promised to let them know if the body at state line was Sara.

The red and blue flashing lights alerted them that they were closing in on the scene. The coroner's van pulled up just as they did. Grissom had the door open the minute Brass put the car into park. Shutting the door he took in a deep breath before walking towards where the officers were gathered not waiting for Brass or David. He flashed his ID, "Grissom. I'm with the Las Vegas Crime Lab." He was guided towards the body and looked for a long moment. He could hear Brass' hurried footsteps behind him. A hand was placed on his shoulder as he let out a heavy breath. "It's not her." Grissom informed the officers. Sara was still out there…alive, and they were going to find her.

"I'll call Rick and Catherine and let them know," Brass said patting Grissom's shoulder.

Relief felt like an understatement to Grissom. It felt more like happiness…but that seemed wrong. A woman was dead; it wasn't something normally to be happy about… But for Gil, he was happy that it wasn't Sara… He wasn't sure what he'd have done if it had been Sara…though he knew that it was a good thing he had come with Brass. And at least they still had jurisdiction in Primm. Primm was still Clark County, but just a hair away from California state line.

Looking to his right, he saw Brass was still on his cell phone and by what he was hearing his friend had gone on to call Nick and Greg. He watched silently as David looked over the body before looking back at Jim, who looked a bit concerned. "What?" he asked quietly wondering what was going on.

Holding up a finger for Grissom to wait, Brass listened closely to his cell phone. "Greg? Greg? What's going on?" He nodded and started to move back towards his vehicle and motioned for Grissom to follow. "Listen to me. We're on our way now. Just stay there…" Getting into the driver's seat, he closed his phone and pulled the door shut.

Looking over at his friend, he started to fill him in on what Greg had told him over the phone. "Nick's missing. He said that Nick was supposed to just go out to the vehicle to retrieve…something…Greg was panicked…I'm not sure what exactly he was telling me about exactly what. But as he was walking down towards the vehicle he found it open and the lights inside on, but no Nick. His hat though was on the ground towards the back of the truck."

"I thought I told them to stay together," Grissom said shocked that another of his CSIs might have been taken…

Brass simply shrugged his shoulders slightly as his siren blared and his lights went on as they sped back down the I-15 towards Las Vegas. "Maybe…maybe Nick's there… Maybe it's just a misunderstanding…" he tried to stay optimistic.

"Nicky wouldn't do something like that to scare Greg…" Grissom said quietly as he sat there thinking. It would take them another half an hour to get back to Vegas…and in that time whoever was after his CSIs was getting away…

Tension was in the air, and Jim wished he could push the speed, but he was already pushing it. "Why don't you call Catherine and Rick and let them know what's going on…make sure they're staying together," he suggested knowing that his friend was most likely feeling responsible.

………………………………………

"Nicky…Nicky… Wakey wakey…"

The sound seemed blurred. The voice he didn't recognize, but his brain logged it as male. The unfamiliar voice was soon joined by a boot. The kick connected with one of Nick's ribs making him cringe and cry out in pain. Opening his eyes, she looked around from his place against the cold floor. A few yards away he saw a crumpled form. "Sara?" he managed to get out hoping to see the form move or respond. But he only won himself another swift kick, this time to his spinal cord from him moving.

"Sara's sleeping right now, Nicky…"

He could make out her face clearly. Her eyes were shut… Her colorless pallor was concerning him though, and he noticed that most of her clothes had been stripped off. Her vest was missing and her pants. His eyes stopped when he saw the reddish-brown stain on her white cotton shirt. It was a line that ran from her side down towards her stomach. Nick's mind raced, she was injured…

Turning, Nick found his face pressed against the floor quickly. Whoever had them didn't want him to see him. Obviously Sara wasn't a threat at the moment, and probably the only reason or else he would have been smart enough to wear a mask. The man's foot was pressed hard against his back and Nick wondered exactly what was planned for them. "What did you do to her?"

"Don't worry about Sara…"

He didn't like the man's tone. It was too calm, too even…no caring in his voice. "She's hurt, what did you do to her?" Nick pushed wanting to know what was wrong… He wanted to get to her, to check her and make sure she was alright.

"Nicky…Nicky…Nicky… Why do you care so much about plain lil' Sara? She's not your type…too geeky I think."

"She's my friend," Nick told him getting annoyed and frustrated.

"Ah…friendship…"

Raising his eyebrows, Nick wondered why the man was so interested and what he wanted from them, but he felt the foot press down and then let up a bit. Nick stayed still. He didn't want to chance being able to check Sara.

"You count to ten. Then you can move."

"One," Nick started and felt the foot removed from his back and laid there with his eyes glued on Sara. He had a feeling that those ten seconds were going to feel like much longer… "Two." He heard her let out a moan, he could hear the pain in it. "Three." Footsteps moving away from him caught his attention, and he continued, "Four." He had a thought to run over to her once he heard a door, but he didn't want to chance things. "Five." The door, he heard it opening. There was a slight squeak, something he knew that Grissom would appreciate in some odd way. "Six." The slam of the door made him want to race over to Sara even more, but he swallowed and managed to keep himself in place. "Seven." A click, told Nick that they were locked in, most likely by a dead bolt. "Eight." He watched Sara as her head started to move just ever so slightly. "Nine." Ten was so close, but it was so far…almost as far as Sara. When the number finally rolled off his tongue, "Ten," Nick felt relief rush over him as he pushed himself up and scattered across the hard, cold floor to Sara's side.

He cradled her cheek with his hand as he looked over, her face and then moved the hem of her shirt up so he could look over her stomach. It was clean, all but for a stain where the stain on the shirt had been. "Sara," he whispered. Nick waited a minute for a reply, but didn't get any solid response. Carefully, he rolled her over and moved her so that her head was in the crook of his neck. He found the source of the stain on the front of her shirt. He let out a gasp at what he found. The word 'bitch' was cut into her lower back, it looked like it had just been scrawled into her flesh with a knife. "Sara, Darling… I'm here," he said trying to contain the tears that threatened to fall. "I'm not going to let him hurt you…"

Mindful of her back, Nick laid her on her stomach carefully. He quickly stripped out of his vest and stripped out of his button up white shirt leaving him only in his undershirt. He ripped it, thinking that he needed to do something to help Sara. He wasn't a doctor, but he knew enough to know that he needed to stop the bleeding. Although it looked to be slowing, he wasn't sure how much blood Sara had already lost. It seemed like a lot to him, but he wasn't sure if that was merely because it wasn't a crime scene…this time it was his friend and her life on the line.

Covering the wounds with the clean white fabric, he used two long pieces to secure the make-shift bandages in place as he tied them around her waist. He sat against one of the walls, and held Sara close rocking her gently. He listened to her whimpers and her mumblings. He couldn't understand what she was saying, but he could tell that she was in pain and that was what was worrying him most.

Some time later, when her head moved upward, and her face produced worry lines, Nick felt a glimmer of hope. "Sara?" he whispered gently and brushed some of her hair out of her face. He tried to keep it out of her face and frowned at how jagged and uneven it was. It was just choppy and almost ugly. "Darling?"

Opening her eyes slowly, Sara frowned and forced her eyes to focus. She didn't believe what she was seeing, but then she noticed the wall behind him. The same dirty wall and the railing off to the side… She was still in the same hell, this time Nick was just with her… Letting out a helpless whimper, she looked up into his face for hope and answers, "Nicky…?"

………………………………………….

TBC…


	4. Quality Bonding Time

**Title:** Shattered

**Author:** innocent choir girl shannyfish (From Out of the Lab)

**Summary:** Someone is out to get Las Vegas' CSIs and Sara Sidle is their first victim. What happens when there are no leads to a suspect? Takes place during Season Seven.

**Category: **Ship Ahoy! Gil/Sara

**Genres:** Angst, Character Study, Drama, Established Relationship, Friendship, Hurt Comfort, Suspense

**Characters:** Jim Brass, Gil Grissom, Catherine Willows, Warrick Brown, Sara Sidle, Nick Stokes, Greg Sanders

**Warnings:** Adult themes

**Rating:** R

**Chapter:** 4 "Quality Bonding Time"

**Author's Notes: **none

Catherine and Warrick were outside the Mirage with Greg when Brass' car pulled up. She waited just long enough for Grissom and Brass to get out of the car before immediately starting towards them. "What the hell is going on, Grissom?" she asked holding her arms out as she walked towards him. She was upset, but not at Grissom. She just hoped that they knew more than the rest of them knew. So far they didn't know anything…

"We have to take the fact that the fact that we haven't found Sara yet, that he doesn't intend on killing…us… It looks like we're his targets, and that he'll slowly, but surely collect us one by one." He forced his voice to remain calm and pushed the shaking of his voice away. He looked around at his team and forced himself and them to do what their jobs demanded they do, follow the evidence. "What do we have to tell us what happened?"

"He left Sara's vest," Catherine spoke up as Grissom walked past her with Brass in tow. She sighed, "There's more blood, Grissom. Warrick already tested it, it's human."

Warrick held out the bag that housed Sara's vest out to Grissom. His hands were gloved, and his expression showed his worry and fear. "I can't tell how soaked the vest is… There looks like more hairs on it…but there might actually be follicular tags this time… I didn't want to lose any, so I bagged the whole thing."

Pulling gloves from his vest, Grissom put them on and slowly rolled up the edge around his wrist, so it would be easier to remove later. He opened the bag and started to examine the vest without fully removing it. "He cut it off her," he observed seeing that the shoulders were both cut. The vest that would normally be one piece was now in three. He sighed seeing the blood, and he noted the hair. A knot formed in his stomach as he closed up the bag and handed it back to Warrick. He didn't like the look of it. "What do we have on Nick?" he asked looking around.

"Just his hat," Greg said quietly. "I'm sorry, Gris. Nick told me to stay and—"

"It's okay, Greg," Grissom told him. He knew that Greg was the youngest and the least experienced of the bunch and would do as he was told by Nick…and pretty much any of the others on night shift. "We're going to find them." Once he received a nod from the young criminalist, he went on with another question, "Any blood? Other than what's on Sara's vest?"

"No," Warrick responded.

"From now on, none of us are separating…" Grissom announced.

Brass took that as his cue and spoke up, "I'll make sure you all have an escort." He flipped open his phone and turned his back and walked a couple steps away to make the call.

A thought came to Catherine's mind that scared the hell out of her. What if they weren't the only ones being flagged for attack? "Lindsey… I want Lindsey at the lab," she said aloud and turned her attention to Grissom. "He could push to going after the ones we love who live in the area…" Catherine put out. She turned to Warrick concerned, "Your wife… I'd call her."

Warrick frowned and tilted his head, and thought about what he was about to say. He hadn't planned on telling the team…not like this though…and not so soon. "We're…uh…we're not together anymore…"

"You're divorced?" Catherine asked shocked thinking that Warrick wasn't telling them anything anymore. First he had gone off and gotten married without even saying a thing to any of them, and now they'd broken it off?

"Not yet, but we're getting the paperwork together," Warrick explained.

Grissom shifted his jaw thinking, "I'd still at least make sure she had a police escort… Just to be safe."

Warrick nodded and thrust his hands deep into his pockets before turning and looking at the open Denali behind him. The tail gate with the bags containing Nick's hat and Sara's vest sat on it.

"Okay, guys…" Brass interrupted. "Let's get into our vehicles and stay together on the roads. I want us all back at CSI together."

"What about Lindsey?" Catherine asked worried about her daughter.

Brass thought about it for a minute before opening his mouth to speak. "How many people can exactly fit into one of the trucks?" he asked trying to think up a plan that involved them staying together in safety's sake.

"Two in the front, two in the middle, and three in the back," Warrick rattled off looking back at the open Denali.

Looking around, Brass took a quick tally of how many were correctly there. "Okay, I'll have officers come back and pick up my car and the other Denali," Brass announced.

"We've got evidence in our truck," Warrick spoke up.

"So, we'll get the evidence and then we'll all go and pick up Lindsey. We'll take her to the lab, and we'll order out food." He watched as Warrick pushed the two evidence bags into the back of the Denali before closing it up. He kept a close eye on the CSI as he moved to the other Denali to pull out the SAE kit and their items from that vehicle before stowing it in the back of the other Denali. "We have everything now?" he asked. "Keys? Cars are locked up?" he questioned.

After the stop to get Lindsey and to wait for the teenager to pack some things to keep her entertained and comfortable at CSI, Brass was persuaded to stop and pick up Chinese food for them all. Pulling into CSI, they all got out, retrieving the evidence, and leaving him to bring the box filled with smaller boxes of food in. He followed the group in, who seemed to make a beeline for the break room; obviously he was expected to follow with food. "There better be something to drink in here," Brass called ahead.

"I wouldn't check the fridge," Greg offered, "Grissom tends to put experiments in there and doesn't label them…"

Brass just shook his head knowing that Greg was telling the truth. Grissom was one of those people who didn't respect space and didn't think of others when he did something scientific. It was something you learned to live with. He was just happy that he didn't have to store his food in that fridge. "There still better be something to drink."

"Water."

Shaking his head as they entered the break room, Brass set the box onto the table. "Something better than water…" He saw Grissom disappear over to one of the corners of the room, and could see the grim expression on his friend's face even from where he stood. "How about we all eat now? Then I'll let you guys have your fun with the evidence," Brass suggested. He lined up the boxes on the table arranging them so that the same items were all grouped together. "Cath, can you get the plates?" he asked. Smiling when Lindsey started to help him get the food out, but he gathered that was because she wanted to eat and he was probably taking too long for her liking.

"How long do I have to stay here?" Lindsey asked as her mother handed her a plate and set the rest on the table.

"Until we know it's safe," Catherine told her daughter and handed a plate to Greg and one to Warrick, so the boys would start to help themselves. She looked over her shoulder and saw Grissom in the corner with his fingers massaging his temples. "Come eat, Gil," she said watching him. When he didn't respond, she frowned and walked across the room to him. She knew that without her at the table that her daughter and the guys would help themselves and start eating. They most likely wouldn't even notice that she had stepped away. "Migraine?" she questioned.

He peered up through his fingers and nodded slightly. Sometimes he hated that she knew him like that. But it wasn't only the aching in his head…the voices that made it pound all the more…the brightness of the light… His heart ached. He couldn't help it, he kept dwelling on the fact that there had seemed like a fair amount of blood on Sara's vest. There were no leads…and he doubted that Nick's hat and Sara's vest were going to lead them in any direction.

"Come eat."

"Not hungry," he said quietly. He knew that he should lie down, but he also knew that the evidence needed to be examined. He knew that they needed to find a lead…that they needed to find Sara and Nick. Time was running out.

"It'll make you feel better," Catherine pushed. "Just have a little bit, take something for the migraine, and go lie down for a while." She knew that he was no use to them if he was in such pain. She also knew how he felt about Sara and Nick. For a long time he'd been torn on what his relationship with Sara should be, she had even pushed him into buying Sara a plant once. And Nick, Catherine was pretty sure that Grissom felt just like they had when Nicky had been taken and buried alive. The two combined, she knew, was ripping him apart. "You'll think better after all of that…"

"We need to find them," he whispered feeling so helpless.

Looking over at the table, she saw the others eating. There were smiles, which she knew was good…it wasn't good to dwell on things when there was nothing they could do to change things… Greg, Warrick, and Brass were happily eating and conversing with Lindsey like she was part of the gang. She realized that CSI was more of her family than the one she had had back when she was married. They were a close knit group, and their lives were CSI. Turning her gaze back to Grissom, she sighed, "We're going to find them…and they're going to be safe. You need to be at the top of your game for that to happen, Gris. That means eating, and taking some time to get rid of that migraine."

Nodding slowly, so as to not jilt the migraine, he got up and headed over to the table with Catherine. Maybe she was right. Maybe he just needed some time…time to get himself together. Sitting down, he smiled over at Lindsey before getting himself some food and as he went through the different foods he stopped.

"What's wrong?" Catherine asked, not only did she want to know what was wrong, but she also wanted to get food for herself, too and he was in her way.

"None of this is vegetarian," he said aloud.

Catherine just stared at him and tried to figure out what the hell he was thinking. And then it dawned on her… She put her free hand on his shoulder and patted it lightly, "We'll pick up Sara some steamed vegetables and vegetable chow mien when we find her," she said softly realizing that had been what Grissom meant.

He just moved on and sat down staring at the food for some time before finally picking up a fork and starting to slowly eat.

TBC…


	5. In Your Hands

**Title:** Shattered

**Author:** innocent choir girl shannyfish (From Out of the Lab)

**Summary:** Someone is out to get Las Vegas' CSIs and Sara Sidle is their first victim. What happens when there are no leads to a suspect? Takes place during Season Seven.

**Category: **Ship Ahoy! Gil/Sara

**Genres:** Angst, Character Study, Drama, Established Relationship, Friendship, Hurt Comfort, Suspense

**Characters:** Jim Brass, Gil Grissom, Catherine Willows, Warrick Brown, Sara Sidle, Nick Stokes, Greg Sanders

**Warnings:** Adult themes

**Rating:** R

**Chapter:** 5 "In Your Hands"

**Author's Notes: **none

………………………..

"How ya feelin'?" he asked concerned as he stared down at Sara. Thankfully, their captor had left them alone, which gave Nick time to assess Sara's injuries and their current surroundings. The surroundings weren't helpful. Sara's lower back was cut up and her wrists wore a dark crimson crusted ring of blood. He knew that it was good though that it was crusted; it meant that she wasn't bleeding out of that wound anymore… He was already afraid of how much blood she might have lost.

She gave him a weak smile and lifted her hand up to touch his cheek, "Fine…" she whispered. Sara was lying, of course, she didn't see any point in telling Nick that her back hurt like hell or that she was freezing when neither could do anything about it. He had moved her, so that her head was in his lap and her face was upward. "Thanks…"

"For what?" he asked running his hand along her hair that was hanging over his knee. It was an unconscious soothing action, comforting in a way to them both.

"Taking care of me," she responded making her smile tight.

He tilted his head, "Tell me the truth."

Sara frowned and looked up at him trying to figure if she could still lie. After so many years of working together it sometimes was annoying that they could see through each other so easily. "My back hurts really bad," she admitted. "And since he's taken off with half of my clothes, I'm freezing." Before she could say anything, he pulled her up onto his lap, so that her head was under his chin and held her close. Sara could feel the warmth right away. "Thanks…"

"Did he…?" Nick asked, but couldn't bear or take in the thought of his friend being violated.

Sara shook her head against his chest and closed her eyes. "I thought he was going to…but instead he decided to give me a lecture on how I'm ugly and then carved into my back," she mumbled against the fabric of his shirt.

Anger shot through him, he had felt better after getting to Sara, but now this? Was the man just trying to completely torture her on all fields? "You're not ugly," he told her as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "You're one of those people who are beautiful inside and out," he said with a smile. He may not have thought of Sara as someone he'd date, but he wasn't blind. "Maybe a little obsessed with your work…" he said and his smile brightened.

She smiled, and for a moment forgot about the pain. Though the pain had worn her down, her body was fatigued. "I'm just dedicated," Sara told him after thinking up the right way to phrase it.

"Too dedicated," Nick told her.

Sara's body immediately tensed up when she heard footsteps. "He's coming," she whispered. Though, she liked to consider herself tough, she wasn't sure if she could take anymore of what she'd already been put through.

Nick held her close, but was mindful of her lower back. He wanted to promise that he'd protect her. That he wasn't going to let her get hurt… But he knew very well that he couldn't make that promise, no matter how much he wanted to do so. He watched as the door opened and the man that stood before them was dressed all in black and was wearing a ski mask.

"Move away from her."

"No," Nick said defiantly and moved so that her body was more protected by his in case the man tried anything. So far, Nick knew that he'd do anything he damn well pleased. If he could, he was going to protect Sara from any further harm. "She needs medical attention," Nick told him. "You have to let her go."

"Oh, do I?"

"Nicky," Sara whispered weakly.

He watched as the man just stood there studying them. He could see his dark eyes, and they seemed empty… "What do you want with us?"

"Perhaps I will return Sara to the CSIs…"

Nick listened to the tone of the man's voice and couldn't quite tell if it was sincere. "I'm all you need. She's lost too much blood. She's weak and she's able to go into shock," he tried to rationalize, his Texan accent thick. "Sara needs to be taken to a hospital. Please…" He wasn't sure if begging would help, but he figured he could give it a try in order to help Sara. "Please let her go…"

"No, this has to be more than us just handing her over…"

Frowning, Nick looked down at Sara and saw that her eyes had closed. It wasn't good. He wanted to check her back, to see if the blood had soaked through what had been his shirt, but he wanted to continue negotiations. "What do you want then?"

"We have to give Grissom something to do… Perhaps we should drive her out to the middle of the desert and dump her."

"No!" Nick said quickly thinking immediately what would happen. Sara would die. She'd bleed out, and it would attract insects and animals who would feed on her while she was still breathing. The cold night temperatures could kill her alone, and if they didn't then once it reached noon the exposure to the sun in the middle of the desert would. "Something else…"

"It has to be something good."

He wanted Sara to be safe. Why couldn't they hide her in a hospital? Of course, Brass would have probably already distributed photos of Sara to hospitals and surrounding police agencies and states. She would be spotted immediately and CSI would be contacted.

"I'll tell you what Nicky Stokes…I'll leave it in your hands… She can't be visible from the roads… And it can't be being dropped off in a hospital. And you can deliver Grissom the clue."

Nick's eyes widened slightly as he watched the man leave. Looking down at Sara, he wondered what he was going to do… Moving his hand, he inspected the makeshift bandages…they were completely soaked in blood. Maybe it was from all the moving? He didn't know for sure.

"Her life is in your hands."

Looking up quickly, he watched as the man slammed the door shut. Her life…was in his hands… How could he put her in the middle of nowhere, but have her protected? He'd need to put her inside of something…but she'd need air… His mind immediately pushed to when he had been buried alive. Of course that had been a horrid experience, but…it could be rigged so that Sara was comfortable and Grissom would be able to find her. Right now all that mattered was saving Sara…

………………………………….

TBC…


	6. Fragile

**Title:** Shattered

**Author:** innocent choir girl shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/LJ GeekFiction)

**Summary:** Someone is out to get Las Vegas' CSIs and Sara Sidle is their first victim. What happens when there are no leads to a suspect? Takes place during Season Seven.

**Category: **Ship Ahoy! Gil/Sara

**Genres:** Angst, Character Study, Drama, Established Relationship, Friendship, Hurt Comfort, Suspense

**Characters:** Jim Brass, Gil Grissom, Catherine Willows, Warrick Brown, Sara Sidle, Nick Stokes, Greg Sanders

**Warnings:** Adult themes

**Rating:** R

**Chapter:** 6 "Fragile"

**Author's Notes: **Spoilers contained in heavily for "Grave Danger" from Season Five.

………………………………

Nick knew his plan could be hard on Sara, but he also knew it was the best way of keeping her alive. Any other way would expose her to the elements, pests, wild animals, cars, sick minded people, or even sand from the desert being blown about. In her current condition she didn't need any of it. With this plan, he'd also be able to leave a trail. But before he put Sara into an acting factor into his plan, he wanted to try to make things better by cleaning her wounds out. He only hoped the man holding them would let him.

Sleep was one thing that Nick was happy that Sara was doing. At first she had whimpered a lot, but then she had stopped and had just been sleeping. He only hoped that that meant she wasn't in so much pain. He figured he could hope that anyway. The footfalls he heard made him hold Sara tighter as they became louder. The man entered with a mask and a bloody knife, which Nick could only guess the man had used on Sara.

"What's the plan, Nicky?"

He hated how it sounded. He made it sound like they were such good friends, but the man was actually going to make him feel like the bad guy in the process of trying to save one of his best friends. "First I need to get Sara into a bath and clean her up, and then we can go over everything we need for the plan."

"Sara's fine."

"Sara needs to be clean," Nick insisted and then quickly added, "It's part of the plan."

"Tell me the plan, Nicky…"

Nick knew that any normal person would think he was crazy, but to him knowing what Nevada's nature and people did to hurt people made him feel it was the only way to keep Sara alive. "We need to get a casket and an oxygen tank…and then a few odds and ends."

"And here I thought we weren't going to kill her…"

"We're not."

"Buried alive!"

Nick nodded, "Give Grissom a clue and how long until the oxygen runs out." He could tell by the way the man's eyes curved that he loved the idea. He just didn't want Sara to wake up while she was inside. It was too hard, Nick knew that from experience. He'd make sure she was at least comfortable and calm.

"Tomorrow, we'll get the items."

Nick just nodded, okay with waiting one more day. "Then can I get Sara bathed and ready tonight?" He tried to keep level, to keep his voice and face as friendly as could really be forced. He just hoped the guy bought it.

"Now."

The man motioned to the door, and Nick carefully yet quickly picked Sara up and headed for it. He didn't want to hesitate and miss the precious opportunity to clean her up. He carried her, so that her body was close to his as a comfort that the man couldn't do anything to her.

He was led down a short dirty hallway to a small bathroom and was immediately locked in. "God damn, this place is just barely bigger than an airplane bathroom," Nick mumbled to himself as he looked around at the filthy room.

…………………………..

Her cries hurt him, but Nick continued to clean the wounds and then rinse them clean. He could tell that she wasn't comfortable, but it was going to help her in the long run. Nick held back his own tears as he watched the bloody water wash down the drain. When he turned off the water, he sighed and thought that there were at least a couple things to be thankful for. The bathroom had looked tiny, cramped, and completely dirty…but the dirt could be washed away. He had found a couple of towels including a wash cloth. The medicine cabinet was also filled with a couple useful items.

The terry cloth on her back felt like needles, but Sara tried to relax and let Nick dry her limp body. She had first been a bit embarrassed to be naked in front of him, but then had realized that Nick knew what women looked like naked and she trusted him. There was no threat of him using the situation against her later on. "I'm cold," she whispered. Nick had told her it was warm, but it hadn't felt very warm to her when the water was going. The towel being wrapped tightly around her and then her body being pulled tightly to his chest made Sara wonder how far gone she really was. Nick seemed worried…scared maybe? She wasn't quite sure.

"I'm gonna warm you up as soon as I fix your back," he told her as he pulled the supplies to the back of the toilet using the tank as a table top. He lined up his treasures. A roll of medical tape, some gauze, Neosporin, and Nyquil. It was basic stuff, he was just thankful that these basic things were there. It made their lives easier. He took the Neosporin and screwed the cap off and started to squeeze it out and onto his fingers before starting to apply it to her back. When he saw her pulling away from his fingers, Nick frowned, "I'm sorry."

"Not…your fault," she said between biting her lip to keep from whimpering or crying out. She wasn't sure how well she was doing, but she was trying at least.

After her back wound was covered in the medicine goo, he placed some gauze over it, trying to cover it as much as possible. He wanted to make sure it would have a lot to go through before it bled through the gauze. As soon as it was in place, he used to tape to keep it secure. He helped her dress back into what clothes she had and kept the two towels he had managed to keep dry. He used the damp one to try and help Sara dry her hair. It was short, and he could tell she was upset about it. He knew it could be fixed once she was safe. "I want you to trust me."

"I trust you," she responded as she shivered from the cold.

He took one towel and wrapped it around her shoulders and then used the other to put it over her head, not wanting too much heat to escape from her head. "I want you to take these," he said holding out two Nyquil green gel caps. He pocketed some of the others and just hoped they worked like he wanted them to. "It'll help you sleep."

"Nick…"

"Please?"

Sara just looked at him for a moment before popping them into her mouth and turning on the sink and getting a sip of water using her hands as a cup before swallowing them down. She stood back up and fixed the towel on her head, so it was wrapped. She still felt cold, but she felt better…clean…

……………………………

TBC…


	7. Shopping?

**Title:** Shattered

**Author:** innocent choir girl shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/LJ GeekFiction)

**Summary:** Someone is out to get Las Vegas' CSIs and Sara Sidle is their first victim. What happens when there are no leads to a suspect? Takes place during Season Seven.

**Category: **Ship Ahoy! Gil/Sara

**Genres:** Angst, Character Study, Drama, Established Relationship, Friendship, Hurt Comfort, Suspense

**Characters:** Nick Stokes, Original Character

**Warnings:** Adult themes

**Rating:** R

**Chapter:** 7 "Shopping?"

**Author's Notes: **I also wanted to just let all know that I do appreciate the comments, but I have had to change the settings for my stories so that I no longer accept anonymous commenting after someone blantingly flamed a story with no real reason (because they thought something happened that didn't) and didn't even give me the chance to reply to it. Fanfiction(dot)net only allows authors to only respond to signed comments.

Also, if you're interested or thinking about a CSI RPG, I'm starting up one and taking information to mail out to later for applications : ) The message board is through proboards. Fanfiction(dot)net doesn't allow internet addys in these postings, so you'll have to adjust the address with proper punctuation ;)

Message board:

csitacoma(dot)proboards54(dot)com

…………………

He was scared to leave her…she was cold and pale…but at least the blood had seemed to clot. Nick was happy that the guy hadn't come in to terrorize, because he was sure that Sara staying still had kept her from bleeding out anymore. The start of getting things to enact his plan to help Sara at the very least didn't leave the guy with Sara alone.

"Let's go, Nicky."

Nick sighed and hoped that Sara stayed asleep while he was gone getting supplies. "I'll be back soon, Darlin'," he whispered stroking her forehead gently before getting up. He had gently laid her so that she was curled up on her side in the far corner. The Nyquil that was in Sara's system was doing a good job keeping her asleep, and Nick just hoped it continued to do so. He didn't want her to worry if she woke up and he wasn't there.

"Now, Nicky…"

Nick got up and headed over to the guy, who was in a baseball cap and sunglasses. He didn't see any marks that could help him identify the guy later. He figured he'd just keep an eye out for something he could use against the guy later. At this rate, Nick figured that he'd be out in the actual world and could possibly let the others know that he and Sara were alive, but that Sara needed medical attention.

………………………..

"Alright, Nicky…" the guy said excitedly as he pulled up behind a building called Batesville Casket Company. "Here it is…you can pick out a nice one, while I keep the people occupied. Just remember to pick out one that won't be too heavy… We've got to move it."

Nick got out of the truck hesitantly. "We're not gonna hurt anyone, though… That's not part of the plan." He knew that he could control the crazy, but he could try at least…

They headed in, the guy taking the lead with his gun out. He opened the unlocked back door and walked right in like he owned the place. Nick followed closely, but kept an eye out. There weren't cameras…he had been hoping for cameras. As they entered the main showroom, he watched as the guy wandered off while Nick looked around at all the different caskets and stopped when he saw a metallic casket. It would be far too heavy, but the guy wasn't around so he took the chance to touch it making sure that his prints got all over it. The team would be sure to show up to take fingerprints after the break-in was reported.

He found the casket they needed quickly, one that he could easily lift on one side without help. It was wooden, but nothing heavy duty. He went back into the back area they had passed through and pulled a cart out into the show room, he moved the casket a bit clumsily, but got it onto the cart before wheeling it back towards the truck. Nick wondered when the guy thought to check on him. Pulling down the tailgate, he started to lug the casket onto the back of the truck before he ended up climbing up into the bed of the truck. Nick pulled hard, and finally managed to get the rest of the wooden box into the bed of the truck. He hoped out and started to cover it with a tarp he had found in the bed of the truck. He made sure it was secure before closing up the gate of the truck. He turned and to his surprise, the guy was hurrying out. Nick took that as his cue to get back into the truck. For all he knew there'd be an angry mob right behind them.

……………………

"We need some medical place now, right?"

"Yeah," Nick responded keeping an eye out the window hoping someone would pull them over. "Somewhere where we can get a good size oxygen tank."

"Already looked up a spot. Zee Medical…"

Nick sighed, he felt so guilty running around stealing stuff, but he knew it was a far better option than watching the guy kill Sara. They headed in, he watched as the guy held a gun to the owner's face. "What's the capacity of the biggest tank you've got?" Nick asked quickly.

The store owner looked between the gun and the guy with the Texas accent. "We have one that will run for five and a half hours if the oxygen flow is continuous."

"Look, Man, we're not gonna hurt you, but we need that tank…" Nick explained. He figured maybe if the guy felt more at ease then he'd tell them what they needed to know. The man pointed to the back and Nick nodded, "Alright. It's the biggest canister then?" The man held hostage nodded and Nick disappeared into the back.

Cameras.

The medical supply backroom had cameras. He looked up and waved at one. He mouthed slowly 'Sara needs help'. He just hoped they'd be smart enough to pull those tapes. He went back to work pulling a dolly along until he found what he needed. Straining a bit, he managed to move the metal canister onto the dolly. He didn't bother strapping it in place, and just started to wheel it out. "I'm gonna need help getting this into the truck," Nick said.

"Help him!"

Nick looked over and saw that the poor store owner was being forced to follow him and help lift the thing. He parked the dolly next to the truck and then pulled down the tailgate, so he had some room to get up into the back of it. He pulled the tarp back and opened the casket. He saw the guy's face pale, but figured the sooner they got this over with, the sooner the poor owner could go scurry back into his shop and call the police. "Alright," Nick said grabbing the top of it and trying to hoist it up. The store owner, helped by lifting it from the base, and within five minutes it was lying in the casket. Closing it up and covering it, Nick got back down shutting the gate before heading back into the store with the two men. "I need tubing and a mask," Nick told the owner.

Nodding, the owner hurried and retrieved the supplies and handed them over quickly.

"Thanks," Nick said before heading out and seeing out of the corner of his eye the guy threatening the owner before following him out. Getting into the truck, Nick looked back through the side view mirror. The owner was cowering under his counter. It was a smart move. Hearing the driver's side door open and then slam shut, he spoke up, "We need to make one more stop."

…………………….

"Ah, let's play this a little more low key," Nick said getting out of the truck. "I can handle this on my own…" Getting out of the truck, he headed inside and picked up a shopping basket. It was Walgreens Pharmacy, but those kind of places had all kinds of things, not just cold medicine. He picked up a water of bottle with a sports cap, making sure he had a pretty good size one. Next, he went down the aisle that had flashlights and picked up a good size heavy duty one along with the C batteries that it required. The last thing he needed was a shovel. It wasn't something that they normally carried, but luckily they had a summer gardening aisle and he was able to get the last item.

Going up to the front, he waited patiently in line. Looking up at the ceiling he noticed a camera. He just hoped that someone would be watching it… Someone would see that he was there…that he was buying the things he was. Maybe it would help them find Sara…and him even. Sometimes he knew, things just clicked…he just hoped things would click quickly.

It was his turn. He set the basket up on the counter and the checkout teenager rang everything through. "Forty dollars and eighty three cents," she reported as she popped her gum.

Nick pulled out his wallet and handed her the credit card. He watched as she slipped it through the machine and smiled. Electronic trail, sometimes he loved technology.

"Sign on the screen."

Taking his card back, he picked up the plastic pen and wrote in the box, _Hurry Up, Griss!!!,_ instead of his signature and pressed done. He took the receipt and his bag and then headed out. The mission was complete, and hopefully things would go like he wanted. He just hoped that Sara would last long enough for the team to find her and for them to get her help.

"At least she won't have to deal with ants," he muttered as he walked back to the truck.

………………….

TBC…


End file.
